Dallas attorney Jamey Newberg has been covering the Texas Rangers, from the big club down through the entire farm system, since 1998. His website can be found at www.newbergreport.com.

Bruise Cruz.

Oklahoma right fielder Nelson Cruz was hitting .339/.440/.671 on July 13, before taking the next day off with what was reported as left elbow soreness. The whole league rested the day after that as the AAA All-Star Break got underway. Cruz singled in three at-bats in the July 16 All-Star Game (playing center field), was off on the 17th with everyone else, and rejoined the RedHawks as they resumed their schedule on July 18.

If he’d tailed off at all at that point, if he’d even had a little cold streak at the plate coming off of an elbow issue and the lack of a real Break, it would have been OK. As of July 13, he’d amassed 26 home runs and 74 RBI in 84 games.

But he jumped right back in on July 18 and has played every day since. There’s been no cold streak.

In the 10 games since the Break, Cruz has 11 home runs.

That’s a lot.

He’s 18 for 44. That’s a .409 batting average.

Which is also good.

(Interestingly, those 18 hits included no doubles or triples.)

Eleven home runs in 10 games — one for every four at-bats — with 19 RBI. Good grief.

And then there’s this:

On Friday, Cruz made his second start of the season in center field, his first since May (if you discount the All-Star Game appearance).

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